Ash tray



March 25, 1958 P. M. MANloN ASH TRAY Filed JanQzl, 1955 Pe fer Manz'on Byvd .11A/11141 N m, 111|] O Lf) Unitedv States Patent ASH TRAY Peter M. ltanion, Portland, Greg.

Application January 21, 1955, Serial No. 483,220

1 Claim. (Cl. 131-237) means usually are not always provided for extinguishing the foregoing materials and where the prevalent tendency is to dispose of them by throwing them from the vehicle,

even though this is forbidden by law in some states.

Accordingly it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an ash tray which will rapidly and .f'

completely extinguish burning refuse material and store it pending its permanent disposal.

Still another object of the present invention is the pro vision of an ash tray which may be installed in automobiles of various makes and which when so installed may be used conveniently and easily.

The manner in which the foregoing and other objects of this invention are accomplished will be apparent from the following specification and claim considered together with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of the presently described ash tra` partly broken away better to show the interior construction;

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken along the line 2-2 ci Figure l, and illustrating particularly the interior construction of the ash tray;`

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Figure l;

Figures 1i and 5 are fragmentary partial plan and sectional views respectively of an alternate form of the herein described ash tray.

Broadly stated, the presently `described ash tray comprises a receptacle having rotatably mounted across its width a compartmented rotor which preferably is in the form of a bladed wheel. An angularly formed plate is mounted on the receptacle adjacent the rotor. The `plate is proportioned to span the opening between the members of an adjacent pair of blades on the rotor, thereby forming a substantially sealed chamber.

One blade of the pair contacted by the angle formed by the plate. This positions the rotor, seals ott a chamber including the two blades of the rotor and the plate, impedes the reverse rotation of the rotor, and assists in guiding the refuse material through the apparatus.

The assembly is completed by the inclusion of means for rotating the rotor stepwise and means for attaching the entire assembly to a suitable structural member, for example the underside of the instrument panel of an automobile.

Considering the foregoing in detail and with particular reference to the drawings: l

As is illustrated particularly in Figures 1-3, Athe ash tray of this invention includes a receptacle which preferably is formed in the top. The receptacle may be made of sheet metal or the rotor nests in shape of a tray, open at the CII lil

2 panel 12 which is chromium plated or otherwise finished to provide an attractive exterior appearance.

Guides 14 and lo are placed along the top side edges of the receptacle for the reception of a sliding cover 18. The latter is formed with a plurality of openings 20 through which may be inserted bolts 22, 24. These in turn may be used to attach the cover to a suitably located structural member underneath the'automobile instrument panel. Accordingly the tray may be moved from Vits closed to its open position by sliding it relative to the lid. To this end a projection 26 serving as a handle may be placed in a convenient location on the underside of the tray.

A spring 25s is attached to a sidewall of the receptacle and bears against the under surface of the cover. It acts as a friction member inhibiting the free motion of the receptacle so that it may be positioned inwardlyfand outwardly as desired. ln addition, it is maintained in its adjusted position and cannot be dislodged, as by vibration of the vehicle. Accordingly, any possibility of the re ceptacle falling from the cover which retains it is prevented.

A compartmented rotor indicated generally at 30, the compartments of which are adapted to receive the burning waste material, is rotatably mounted between the sidewalls of the receptacle. Where the ash tray is to be used in an automobile, the rotorpreferably is mounted forwardly, close to the front wall and below the upper edges of the tray as shown in Fig. 2. This makes it possible to open the tray when the rotary extinguisher is to be used, and thereafter to close the tray by pushing it beneath the instrument panel where it is inconspicuous and out of the way.

In its preferred form the compartmented rotor comprises a bladed wheel including a shaft 32 having mounted thereon four blades 34, 36, 38, 40 disposed substantially at right angles to each other. Sidewalls 42, 44 are provided at the end of the assembly, thereby forming pockets or compartments suitable in dimension and configuration for the reception of cigarette butts, matchsticks, and the like.

Shaft 32 is journalled in the sidewalls of the receptacle. Washers 46, 48 are employed to space the bladed wheel carried by the shaft from the sidewalls. A handle 50 is rigidly attached to the end of the shaft and is maintained spaced from the receptacle by spacer 52. In this manner there is formed a compartmented rotor which has four separate compartments which may be employed consecutively for the reception of the smokers waste material by turning handle S0.

In the operation of an ash tray of the present class, it will be observed that there are four or more problems to be overcome to insure its successful use. In the rst place, means should be availablev for extinguishing the burning waste material rapidly and effectively to eliminate the re hazard as well as the odor given oft by such materials. l

In the second place, means should be available for insuring the rotation of the rotor in one direction only, i. e. counterclockwise as viewed in Figure 2, thus insuring that the burning material will be processed by the extinguishing means.

ln the third place, means should be present for insuring that the rotor will be moved in stages whereby to present an empty compartment for the reception of the burning:

waste material simultaneously with the movement to thel extinguishing zone of burning material which already has' been deposited in the rotor.

Fourthly, a guide should be present for guiding the waste material smoothly through the rotor so that it will other norrcombustible material and may include/a vfrontv not be clogged.

A` preferred -form of plate and associated resilient means is illustrated in Figures 1 3. It comprises a plate 54 made of a resilient material and proportioned so as to be as wide as the rotor 3). The plate is angularly olset in its longitudinal dimensionto'form a sealing section 56, andan adjacent intermediate section 57 forming an :apex 58 therebetween and ya base section 60. The sealing section 56 is proportioned t'o completely seal ott the space between adjacent blades of the rotor when one of the blades .rests in the apex 58. The base section 6i) is .adapted for attachment to the bottom of the receptacle. Accordingly, the sealing section of the plate can move between the positions illustrated and in solid lines .in dotted outline in Figure 2. When the rotor is removed from the .-tray, the sealing section can assume the advanced position shown Yin dotted lines and inclined toward the right in Fig. 2. However, whenV the rotor is placed in lthe tray, the sealing section will assume Yan upright position wherein it presses resiliently against the edges of adjacent'blades of the rotor.

-If an attempt is made to turn the rotor as seen in Fig. ,2 in a clockwise direction, the blade nesting in the apex d tends to p-ull on the intermediate section 57 without'deflection, thereby substantially locking the rotor against such rotation. However, if the rotor is turned correctly in a counterclockwisedirection, only limited resistance is encountered by the upper left hand btade (Fig. 2) due to the resilient pressure of the sealing section l andthe latter will move to its retracted position, permitting passage of the .rotor blade. After this blade has been rotated 90 the plate will snap back to its upright position.

Thus it will be apparent that the cooperative action of the rotor blades and plate 54 will eliectuate a step- Wise rotation of the rotor. At each stage of its rotation, it is centered in such a manner that a compartment is presented to the open top of the receptacle, ready for the reception of burning material. Upon turning the rotor counterclockwise by 90 however the burning Vmaterial is transferred to an extinguishing zone sealed od by plate 54, and another compartment presented in operative Vposition for the reception of a further quantity of the material. Upon rotation of the rotor, the Waste materialis guided smoothly through the apparatus and iinally is impelled into the rearward portion of thertray which provides a substantial storage Space. Furthermore, rotation of the rotor in a clockwise direction is impeded, and as a resuit it is difficult for the burning material to be transferred directly into the storage space where it might ignite the material stored therein.

An alternate form of the herein described ash tray is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. lt comprises a tray-shaped receptacle 70 formed with a Chromed ornamental ,front plate 72 and with guide edges 74, 76. A cover plate 73 is adapted to slide on the guide edges and is provided with a plurality of openings 8u for attaching it to the underside of a vehicle instrument panel by means of bolts 82, 84. A projection 86 serves as a handle for moving the tray in and out with respect to the instrument panel.

A compartmented rotor 90 is rotatably mounted across the forward end of the receptacle in a manner analogous to the manner of mounting rotor 39 of the embodiment of Figures 1 3. lt comprises a bladed wheel including four blades 94, 96, 98 and 10G, and two Vend plates 192, 104, and is turned by a handle 11u in the manner described above.

An angled plate 126 including a sealing section 122, an `angle 124V between the sealing section and a base section 126 which is pivotally attached to the door of the receptacle. Any suitable means may beremployed for attaching it in this manner, the illustrated means comprising the hinge member 128, attached tothe iioor. Plate v1,20 is maintained resiliently pressed .against ad jacent blades of rotor by means of compression spring 130. The latter is held in position by means of tabs '132, 134 and .bears against the section V122 of .plate 1.20. Accordingly the plate is maintained resiliently pressed against the blades of the rotor, forming a sealed charnber defined in Figure 5 by blades 94, 109, sidewalls 102, 104, and section 122 of plate 120.

Operation material lmay be 'plac'ed'inV the fcompartmentwhich is uppermost. A quarter turn of rotor as seen -in Fig. 42, in a counterclockwise direction then brings y the burning material into -a sealed chamber includingblades 34, 40,

' end pieces 42, 44 and section 56 `of plate 54. Partly because of the cooling eiect and partly because of the limited air supply, 'the burning material is extinguished immediately. Y

The assembly may be left in this position until it is to be used again. A further quantityof burning material then may be placed in the uppermost tray and the rotor given another quarter turn ina counterclockwise direction. This action discharges the extinguished material from the iirst chamber Vand carries the burning material into another lextinguishing chamber formed by blades 34, 36, endwalls 42, 44 and section 56 of plate 54.

The foregoing operation may be repeated until the storage section of the receptacle is filled, the extinguished material being Vguided smoothly through the rotor in a counterclockwise direction without clogging and without being transmitted inadvertently'while still burning to the accumulated material, thereby igniting it.

Whenv theash tray is to be emptied, it need only be slipped along the lixed cover section until it is entirely free from it. After emptying,V it may be reinserted in the cover and placed in the desired position. While in use the receptacle is maintained firmly in the selected position with respect to the cover by means of spring 28, despite vibration of the vehicle.

"The operation of the embodiment of'Figures 4 and 5 is analogous to that described above, with the exception that whereas plate 54 of the embodiment of Figures l-3 is maintained firmly against the rotor `blades by its inherent resiliency, plate is rigid but is maintained firmly against the rotorV blades by the pressure of spring 130.

4 Itis to be understood that the forms of my invention herewith shown and described, Vare to be taken aspreferred examples of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or theV scope of the subjoined claim.

YHaving thus describedmy invention l claim:

In Van ash tray including a receptacle having an inlet opening for receiving smokers material, and an elongated multiple bladed rotor providing a plurality of elongated open ended chambers and mounted rotatably within the receptacle for registration of each chamber successively with said inlet opening: the combinationV therewith of an elongated sealing plate mounted resilently within the receptacle and positioned normally .toseat against and span the radially outer edges of the pair of rotor blades defining the chamber adjacent and leading with respect to the direction of rotor rotation the chamber registeringV with the said inlet opening, whereby to seal said chamber, the plate having 'an angular olset in its longitudinaldimension forming an angle therein, andthe apex of the 5 angle being located so as to receive therein the outer edge of the leading rotor blade of the pair defining the sealed chamber, whereby rotation of the rotor in the direction opposite the first mentioned direction encounters substantially greater resistance.

1,331,872 Plucker Feb. 24, 1920 6 Caldwell et al Dee. 29, 1931 Jinks May 27, 1952 Buroker Ian. 27, 1953 Manion Dec. 8, 1953 Lehman Mar. 23, 195,4

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Ian. 23, 1940 

